Ericeira, Portugal
Ericeira, Portugal
Between a Rock & a Hard Place
Originality: 4/10
Tubelihood: 6/10
Value: 6/10
How: Fly to Lisbon
Why: Probably Europe’s best surf town
Is there a tournament? Yes! Well, sort of, you’ll need to drive an hour north to Peniche
Is Ericeira better than Peniche? Well that’s a matter of personal taste… but yes. Yes it is.
Hardly off the beaten track, but it’s certainly not as surf schooly as Peniche or Algarve, and thus not quite so much of a ‘scene’.
The wind wants to be offshore but when it is, many many riches are on offer. Much of Ericeira surf zones break over rock substrate, sometimes, very very sharp and shallow.
But around Ericeira town variety is the spice of surfing… From burgerish trundle of Ribeira d’Ilhas (River Island!) to the death maw of Cave (basement!), and much between…
Ericeira is named after the word for urchins… here’s the thing, if there are urchins, the surf must be good… you only get urchins at places with good waves. Not because the urchins make it good, just.. coz.
Have you ever been urchined in Cornwall? I rest my case.
Coxos, critics will tell you is a lineup of grumpy old men. They’re correct, those critics. What would you prefer? Grumpy young boogieboarders? Try Gran Canaria!
Coxos not really a point in the classic sense, it’s a reef point, basically a reef break at a very acute angle. It’s mighty sharp, but a good swoop down the line on a solid day and a possible line hold through tricky tunnel and you’ll feel tremendous.
You’ll feel like you just surfed J-Bay, Sunset and Rocky Rights all in one wave… kinda!
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